Garment press



1933- J. c. LEDBETTER GARMENT PRESS Filed April 26, 1924 INVENTOR James 6. A edhe [fer ATTORNEYS Patented Aug. 15, 1933 GARMENT FEE SS James C. Ledbetter, Brooklyn, N. l2, assignor, by

niesne assignments, to The Prosperity Gorm' parry, Ina, Syracuse, NPY a Corporation of New York Application April 26, 1924. Serial No. 769,147

20 Claims.

0 surface upon which the work is spread than modern pressing machines now in use, and is so constructed that, in opening up, the pressing members or jaws do not undergo the usual angular jaw action but slip apart laterally and toa gether out of and into overlapping position without at any time permitting the operator to get his fingers in between the pressing members because in fact my pressing members part open into exposed position to permit the removal replacement of the work upon a fully visible buck preferably without allowing any more than substantially a fraction of an inch clearance between the head and buck, and so an operator cannot possibly get his fingers in between such small jaw clearance as this.

Furthermore, an object is to simplify the construction of pressing machines and I accomplish this in one way by eliminating such frequently used parts as the toggle, counterbalance weight, and press lever yoke. My improved pressing machine possesses a press head which itself is the counterbalance weight because I employ the prin ciple of an inverted pendulum and so pivotally mount the press head in the frame that it stands in poised overbalanced position acted on by gravity and ever ready to throw itself bodily off the buck when the compression is released. By eliminating the parts named the press embodies less material and is lighter in weight and smaller in size.

By means of a compound motion of one or both pressing members mounted on a compound-motion pivot whereby they undergo slight vertical separating clearance movement automaticlly followed by a rapid rectilinear or lateral travel, the press is caused to open wide for access toand visibility of the work on the buck, and yet at the same time the pressing members are not permitted to open upby separation therefore the operator cannot possibly get fingers pinched in the press; and therefore my pressing machine is safe; its pressing buck is not partly covered by an angularly poised press head standing in the operators way above the buck as in the Andree Patent 1,379,601; and I find no need of employing complicated main or supplementary controlling means with an effort to make a press safe asin the Benjamin it Carroll Patent 1,489,227 because my press is inherently safe. The characteristic compound motion (lateral and vertical) for the press head is attained by a con1poundmotion pivot carried in the frame, the pivot being capable of a rotary and up and down motion; and the pivot is placed substantially in a vertical plane passing through the press buck.

The accompanying drawing ilustrates one practical form of the construction, and itis understood how changes both as to structure and mode of operation may be made without departing from the principle of the invention.

Figure l is a side view of the machine; and Figure 2 is a front view thereof with the exception that a part of Figure 2 is developed on the line 2-2 of Figure 1 to remove the'motor to expose more essential parts in the front view.

Figure 8 shows a sectional view on the line 3-3' of Figure 1 illustrating an adjustable lever forming part of the motor power means operating to bring the pressing members together andseparating them by imparting vertical motion to one or bo h of the pressing members.

7 Referring now more particularly to the drawing for a detailed description of the invention, there is shown a machine frame 10 upon which one of the pressing jaw members, as the buck 11, may be rigidly supported. A press head 12 coacts with the buck 11 to produce jaw compression therebetween on the work; and the head 12 possesses a compoundv or double motion in that the said head 12 first rises through a very short distance, as for example, about one-eighth of an inch off the work, and thereafter the said head throws itself backwardly off of the buck 11 to the dotted line position shown in Figure 1 whereby the buck 11 is uncovered to fully expose the surface of the buck to give access to the work thereon as well as extended visibility. By noting the dotted line position 12 of the head, it will be appreciated how, in my present machine improvements, the head is not left in an angular position above the buck in the Way of the operator aspresent-day so-called modern type large surface wide opening pressin machines, but the head is removed entirely from the region of the buck; and it will be understood later on just how this improved feature contributes to safety as well as to visibility of the work. The pressing members 11 and 12 are heated electrically or by steam or any of the known approved means.

An upright pull link 14 is anchored to the top of the head 12 and curves rearwardly around the back board 15 of the pressing machine table 16 and rearwardly of the buck 11 extends downwardly through the frame underneath the buck 11. This swingable-upright head-carrying frame link 14 may in fact be constructed by employing two of the links mounted in spaced parallel relation, as shown in Figure 2, in order that the head 12 be attached to the swing element 14 at two separated points so as to provide a well balanced and guided movement as to the operation of the head. The upper end of each spaced swing link 14 is anchored, as at 17, to the head 12 and thus it will be noted how the head is held in slidable alignment so as to slip back and forth in very close relation to the buck 11 without disarranging the work on the buck;

The lower end of the upright swing links 14 cooperate with or are pivotally connected tow a cooperating means or power lever 19 made, in one form, with parallel spaced and rigidly connected parts in the nature of a bifurcated lever asshown in Figure 3, and a pin 20 pivotally joins the lower end' of the upright swing link 14 with the said lever 19. The head 12 is therefore pivotally sup ported to swing about the point 20, and in the present disclosure of my invention, I have shown the pressing members 11 and 12 as having coacting arcuate pressing surfaces 13 which may be made each concentric with the axis of the compound-motion pivot 20 thereby permitting the head 12 to slip easily and naturally into overlapping position with the buck l1. Howeven'the curvature 13 of the meeting surfaces is immaterial and the pressing or ironing faces of the two members 11 and 12 may be flat or curved to any degree desired. The lever 19 in having spaced and rigidly connected parts, insures a more accurate alignment of the head and buck when they come together for pressing engagement.

The front end of the power bifurcated lever 19 is adjustably supported on the frame 10 for the purpose of adjusting the compound fulcrum point 20 up anddown through a short distance to increase or decrease the clearance space between the pressing members. To this end a shaft 22 is journaled to rotate on each end thereof in the frame 10 as at 23. The shaft 22 carries int'egral or fixed cams 24 rotatably mounted in the front ends of the lever 19, and the arrangement is such that when an adjustment crank 25, which is integral with the shaft 22, is swung about its center, the said cams 24 are rotated to depress or elevate this end of the lever 19 which correspondingly moves the fulcrum pin 20 thereby raising or lowering the press head 12 in relation to the buck 11 so as to adjust or regulate the clearance between the pressing surfaces. A handle 26 is made on the crank 25 and the handle isprovided with a lock pin 2'7 which goes in and out a perforated lock plate 28 carried on the frame 10. The lock plate 28 is provided with a plurality of lock adjustment holes 29 in which the-pin 27 engages by shoving inwardly on the handle 26.

The handle 26 with its lock pin 27 and plate 28 permits an operator to quickly alter the position of the cams 24 in order that more or less clearance be had between the pressing members 11 and 12. It is seldom necessary to alter the adjustment in ironing machines inasmuch as they are usually devoted to the pressing of wash goods which do not vary greatly in thickness, and therefore after the power lever 19 is once properly adjusted to provide about one-eighth of an inch clearance between the pressing members, it follows that the machine will be used to a large extent without changing the pressing surface clearance space. The rear end 30 of this adjustable power press lever 19 cooperates with motor power means for imposing high jaw compression between the head and buck as will be seen. A spring 31 has one end thereof supported on the frame with the upper end placed underneath the free end of the lever 19 thereby exerting a continual upward thrust on the swing link 14 to hold the press head 12 in upwardly limited position away from and slightly clearing the pressing surface of the buck '11. However, the spring 31 readily goes down under the application of final pressure by the motor means, yet always returns the lever 19 to its normally upward position at the end of the compression and release stroke of the head.

Any suitable motor power means is applied to the outer-free end of thepower lever 19 for moving it downwardly under great force through a short distance; and in the. present instance I have shown an electrical motor and gear train employed to actuate the power lever 19, but it is understood that this particular motor means is employed only for illustrating my invention; A

cam 33 is carried on a shaft 34 which is motor driven, and the cam33 bears up and down on the rear end 30 of the power lever; and when the cam is down, the spring 31 compresses, butwhen the cam.33 goes up the spring 31 expands to lift.

the press head 12 and hold the'lever 19 in contact with the rotating cam. A worm wheel 35 is anchored to the power shaft 34 and is driven by a worm pinioni36'connected directly to a motor 37, and a fly wheels38 is. usually carried on the motor shaft 40 to impart momentum and produce steady continuous drive with an even flow of powerto the cam 33. The gear transmission 35 and 36 and other parts related therewith are carried in a housing 41.

The requirements of garment pressing and laundry ironing machines are such that the pressin period varies. It is desirable therefore that means be provided for stopping and starting the cam 33 in order that the head 12 be compressed upon the buck for a period depending upon the will of the operator; start motor 37- is employed whereby the motor is switched on to run until the cam 33 rotates 183 degrees to producefinal pressure or relieve it, and thereafter the motor is usually cut off automatically therebyleaving the pressing mem bers under high pressure. But in the present disclosure, I have illustrated acontinuously running motor 37 with an automatic clutch and releasing mechanism of any approved design whereby the cam 33 is turned one-half revolution and then automatically comes to a stop. For example, a clutch disc 42 is mounted to reciprocate back and forth on the shaft 34 to engage and'disengage the continuously running worm gear 35. Inasmuch as the gear-35 is journaled freely on the shaft 34, the said cam 33 is not rotated until'fli;

the-clutch 42 is thrust toward the worm wheel 35 to'engage the driving pins 43 with the worm wheel A clutch lever 44 is pivoted at 45 in the housing 41, and when the clutch 44 is swung to the i right, observing Figure 2, the clutch functions to start the shaft 34 and after the cam 33 is driven one-half revolution the clutch automatically releases permitting the cam to stop under high com.- pression as shown in Figure 1. The operators In some cases a stop andv handle 46 is pivotally carried on the frame of the pressing machine and is fitted with a weighted bob 4'? carrying a dog 48 pivoted on the inside thereof. The dog 48 engages and picks up the upper end of the lever 44 when the handle as is depressed thereby engaging the clutch to drive the cam 33 through one-half revolution. After the operator releases the handle 46, the bob 47 returns to normal position by virtue of the dog 48 sliding by the upper end of the lever 44. Any suitable power clutch means, or stop and start motor, may be employed to rotate the cam 33.

T .e swing link 14 may be provided with a cross tie bar 49 with a bumper spring 50 anchored to the rear thereof and a compressing automatic throw-off spring 52 anchored to the front side of the bar 49. The spring 50 acts to seat back against a stop 53 when the press is opened to prevent noise and jarring of the machine. The compression spring 52 moves forwardly against a buffer 54. anchored on the front of the frame 10. The spring 52 is relatively short and highly compressible so that it only resists lightly the cloing motion of the head. As the operator draws the head 12 forwardly, the spring 52 finally meets the face of the bufier 5a and as the head 12 is pulled further forward the spring 52 becomes compressed. Just as soon as the operator depresses the power applying handle 45, the spring 52 becomes ineffective to open the press because the press is tightly closed. When, however, the operator again thrusts the handle 46 downwardly causing the cam 33 to travel to its uppermost position, the spring 52 instantly exds to automatically throw the head 12 back 'whereit is caught m resting position by the spring stop 5-). It is seen, therefore, how I have employed automatic throw-off or opening means to throw the head 12 back to expose the buck 11 and give broad visibility.

It is to be noted that the fulcrum point 20 is preferably in vertical alignment, or approximately so, with the meancenter of the pressing members, and that the swing link 14 is pivoted sub stantially in a vertical position with the weight of the head 12 poised above all the other parts of the pressing machine, which constitutes a structure not unlike an inverted pendulum having its center of gravity high above the pivotal point, thereby producing a press head which is swingably sustained on a pivot disposed under the buck 11 and the head easily moves back and forth over the buck and no counter balancing means is really needed to balance the head. The position of the pivot 28, whether it is toward the front or rear of the press, determines the balancing characteristics of the head and the upright link or head supporting frame .14.

However, the curved position of the swing link passing back of the table throws the center. of gravity slightly off-center and so the head may be referred to as slightly over-balanced because I may prefer it this way so as to obtain a quick opening movement. Because the swing link 14. curves around to the rear of the press jaws to clear the table and the other parts, as aforesaid, it follows that I have placed the center of gravity slightly to the rear of the head 12 thereby setting up a continuously exerted backward pull on the head of the press. This over-balancing factor causes the head 12 to quickly execute a rearward motion when compression is released and it therefore is not always necessary to employ the throw-01f spring 52.

It will therefore be appreciated that this pressing machine is constructed without weights or toggles to open the press. The press head 12 itself performs the function of the counter-balance weight which is so prevalent in the art as well as eliminating the necessity of tension springs, soneither the weight or spring is required. Furthermore, toggles are not employed for producing high compression and my construction constitutes an improvement in that respect for toggles aredifiicult to release without resulting jar and racking of the machine.

Inasmuch as thepress head does not open by a pivotal angular lifting motion, but lips back and forth laterally into overlapping position without substantial clearance betweent e head and buck, it follows that an operator ca; not accidently catch his fingers or get them pinched between the pressing members. Furthermore his hand or fingers are pushed off buck by the head as it traverses the buck. Inasmuch as the operator reaches forward and grasps the handle 56 to draw the head 12 forwardly he woul find it very awkward to press or pinch one hand on the back edge of the buck. He could hardly stretch himself far enough to start the motor means While adjusting the work and holding the head all at the same time, and thusmy invention afiords safety to a large degree.

Work is spread upon the buck 11 and the head drawn forwardly against the slight pull of gravity and against the slight force of the throw-off spring 52, if the spring is employed, and the lever 19 is then caused to swing down with great force by depressing the handle as to turn on the power. The machine is left under compression, and the operator opens the machine by moving the handle 46 to produce the 189 degree upward movement of the cam, and instantly the head 12 lifts slightly above the buck, and throws-off rearwardly as explained.

The ulcrum 20 comprises a compound-motion pivot because it is capable of two motions, namely, rotary. and up--and-down motion. The upright rotates on the pivot 20 to swing the head back and forth in relation to the buck, and the upright i l moves up and down with the pivot so to release and produce jaw compression. It is significant that the horizontal compound-motion pivot 20 is placed substantially in a vertical plane passing through the buck whereby the is adapted to move vertically to produce and re lease jaw compression f and swing laterally to close and open the press. v

What I claim is:-- I

1. A press comprising jaws having arcuate pressing surfaces, an upright swingable a port having one end thereof anc upper jaw, the other end being plvotally supported on a fulcrum point underneath the jaw... when closed, the fulcrum point being concentric with the arcuate pressing surfaces, s 'd swingable support affording concentric move inent of the upper jaw about the fulcrum point and guiding it in and out of overlapping travel in relation to the lower jaw to fullyexpose the latter, operating means cooperating with the swingable support for actuating the upper jaw to produce and release jaw compression. means affording slight jaw separating clearance movement, and means causing the upper jaw to throw itself on? the lower jaw at the end of r leasing operation.

2. A press comprising jaws, an upright swingable support having its upper end arched around the lower jaw and anchored to the upper jaw,

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the other end thereof being pivotally supported on a pivot disposed. underneath the jaws, when closed, said swingable support affording relative lateral travel of the upper jaw in relation to. the lower jaw to fully exposethe latter, a lever carrying the pivot and connected with the swingable support, means cooperating with the lever to act on the swingable support to produce and release jaw compression, springmeans for automatically throwing the jaws out of overlapping relation, and means whereby up and down adjustment of the pivot is effected to regulate compression between the jaws.

3. A press comprising pressing members having arcuate pressing surfaces, a swingable support having one end anchored to one of the pressing members and its other end pivotally supported on a fulcrum point beneath the pressing members when closed and at a point concentrio with the arcuate pressing surfaces, said swingable support affording relative lateral movement of one pressing member about the 11 point guiding it in relation to the other pi -g member, a lever connected with the swingable support, operating means to actuate the lever to compress and separate the pressing members, means for throwing the pressing mem- .ers out of overlapping relation after separation, and adjustment means cooperating with the lever to alter its normal position to vary the compression between the pressing members.

4. A press comprising a frame, a buck supported on the frame, a head, a swing and pull link standing vertically and pivotally supported in the frame at a point below the buck and having its upper end anchored to the head and setting up an overbalanced condition due to the weight of the head and the position of the pivot point, said link adapted to swing the head back and forth across the buck for access to and visibility of the work, means cooperating with the lower end of Y the link to produce and release compression between thehead and buck, and a spring cushion arranged to store up spring compression when the head moves forward across the buck and acting to automatically throw back the head at the end of the compression release.

5. A press comprising a frame, press jaws including a buck supported on the frame and a head, a swing and pull link standing vertically and pivotally supported in the frame on a compound-motion pivot under the buck, the upper end of the lever being curved around the rear edge of the jaws and anchored to the head setting up a substantially unbalanced condition of the head due to the weight thereof and due to the position of the compound-motion pivot, said link adapted to swing the head back and forth across the buck for access to and visibility of the work, erating means acting through the pivot on the link to exert forces thereon to produce and release compression, and means to automatically throw the head back away from the buck when release of compression takes place.

6. A press comprising a frame, a buck supported on. the head, a'swing and pull link standing vertically and pivotally supported in the frame and having its upper end anchored to the head setting up an unbalanced condition of the head when the press is in closed position due to the weight thereof, said link adapted to swing the head back and forth across the buck for access to and visibility of the work, a lever connected with the link to exert vertical forces thereon to produce and release compression, operating means towork the lever, and an adjustable pivotal means carried on the frame and supporting the lever to adjust the latter up and down to vary the clearance between the head. and buck;

'7. A press comprising a frame supporting a buck, a head having a compound motion relatively to the buck, said head adapted to rise and fall vertically to secure slight clearance and produce compression in relation to the buck, said head being adapted to throw itself back along a curvilinear path from the buck, an upright support link anchored to the head and extending downwardly underneath the buck and adapted to pull the head down onto the buck for compression and guide it in backward travel to give access to and extended visibility of the buck, operating means'for executing the rise and fall vertical motion, said support link comprising substantially parallel parts extending from the head down into the frame, a lever including substantially parallel parts to which the links are pivotally connected, cam adjustment means supporting one end of the lever in the frame, and said lever having its other end connected with the operating means.

8. A press comprising press jaws one of which is stationary and the other movable, a swinging support attached at its upper end to one jaw to open the-press, operating means connected with the support to produce pressure between the jaws,

two springs which undergo compression as the press closes, one of which expands against the operating means to lift the movable jaw off the stationary jaw, and the other spring expands against the swinging support to throw the movable jaw back to the rear of the stationary jaw.

9. A press comprising coacting press jaws consisting of a head and a buck, a frame on which the buck is mounted, a substantially upright swing link at the rear of the press with its upper end curved around the buck over to and anchored on the head and having its lower end extended down into the frame under the buck, a lever on which the lower end of the swing link is pivotally supported, a movably-adjustable pivot means carried on the frame and on which one portion of the lever is supported and which leaves the other lever portion free for operative movement to raise and lower the upright swing link and produce and release jaw compression, means to set the movably-adjustable pivot to vary the normal position of the lever to regulate the degree of jaw compression, and means to operate the lever.

10. A press comprising coacting press jaws consisting of a head and buck, a frame on which the buck is mounted, an upright swing link. at the rear of the press and curved forward and anchored to the head and extended down into the frame under the buck, a lever on which the lower end of the swing link is pivotally supported, an adjustable cam pivot means carried by the frame and on which one end of the lever is supported, and operating means including a cam engaging the other end of the lever to actuate it to produce and release jaw compression.

11. In a press the combination of a frame, a press buck thereon, a press head, an upright swingable support on the upper end of which the head is mounted, said swingable support having a forwardly extending portion to which the head is attached and likewise having a rear and downwardly extending portion which reaches around the rear edge of the head and buck and the lower end of which terminates at a point vertically under the buck, means cooperating with said last named portion for movably supporting and guiding the swingable support to carry the pressing ead toward and from the buck, said means includes a horizontal pivot which has an up and down motion in relation to the frame and on which the total weight of the pressing head and theswingable support is sustained, and operating means for drawing downwardly the hortzontal pivot and the swingable support to effect compression between the head and buck.

12. A press comprising m n frame; a buck thereon; a pressing head; an upright swingable frame including two spaced portions anchored to the head and extending forwardly across and beyond the head, a handle carried between the spaced portions beyond the head, said upright swingable frame likewise having a rear, curved, and downwardly extending portion which reaches around the head and buck and having its lower end terminating directly under the buck; spaced pivots directly beneath the buck on which the lower end of the upright swingable frame is pivoted and on which the full load of the pressing head and frame is sustained for guiding said frame to carry the pressing head toward and from the buck; and operating means connected with the spaced horizontal pivots on which the load of the head and frame is sustained for actuating the pivots in an up and down direction to produce and release compression between the head and buck.

13. In a press the combination of a fixed frame; a pressing buck thereon; a pressing head; an upright supporting frame on the upper end of which the head is mounted, said upright supporting frame having a bodily movement vertically and laterally with reference to the fixed frame which lateral movement carries the head toward and from the buck while in spaced relation thereto; horizontally disposed and spaced pivots on which the lower end of the upright v supporting frame is pivotally mounted and on which the load of the pressing head and the load of the upright frame is sustained, spring means acting on the spaced pivots to elevate the upright frame and head and to throw the same rearwardly clear of the buck; means for pulling the upright frame forwardly to align the head and buck, and operating means to draw downwardly on the spaced pivots carrying the load of the head to compress the latter against the buck.

14, in a press the combination of a fixed frame; a pressing buck thereon; a pressing head; an upright movable supporting frame including an upper horizontal portion to which the head is attached and including a rearwardly curved portion reaching around the head and buck and a downwardly extending portion having a lower end terminating under the buck, said movable frame having a bodily movement vertically and laterally with reference to the fixed frame which lateral movement carries the head toward and from quently introduces an unbalanced condition tending to throw the head back away from the buck by gravity action; spring means lifting the lever means and the spaced horizontal pivots to elevate the head and to aid the gravity action to throw the head rearwardly clear of the buck; means for moving the head forwardly to align the head and buck, and operating means to work the lever means to draw the movable frame and head downwardly to produce head and buck compression.

15. A press comprising a frame, a buck mounted thereon, and a press head; a swingable upri ht including spaced portions having upper parallel horizontal ends anchored to the head to move the latter away from the buck, horizontal spaced pivots disposed vertically under the buck and movable up down in relation to the frame, the spaced upright portions being curved around head and buckat the rear of the latter and extending down into the frame where their lower extrem ties are fulcrumed on the spaced pivots and hence applying the weight of the upright and the head on the pivots, lever means pivotally carried on the frame and operatively connected with the spaced pivots to move the latter down to lower the head onto the buck, and operating means to actuate the lever means.

16. A press comprising a frame, a buck fixed thereon, a press head to coact with the buck; a member pivoted in the frame under the buck, pivot means correlated therewith and disposed vertically under the buck and the member, the pivot means being movable up and down in relation to the frame an upright the lower end of which is fulcrumed and supported on the pivot means and the upper end of which curves around the rear of the head and buck and being anchored to the head and hence applying the weight of the upright and head on the member and the pivot means, and operating means cooperating with the member to draw downwardly on the pivot means to compress the head against the buck.

1'7. A garment or ironing press comprising a frame, a buck supported on the frame, a head, a swing and pull link standing vertically and pivotally supported at a point below the buck, the upper end of the swing and pull link being anchored to the head and adapted to swing the head back and forth across the buck, and means cooperating with the lower end of the link to produce and release compression between the head and buck, said cooperating means including a pair of spaced and rigidly connected parts operatively connected with and supporting the link to insure more accurate alignment of the head and buck when they come together.

18. A garment or ironing press comprising a frame, a buck supported on the frame, a head, a swing and pull link standing vertically and pivotally supported at a point below the buck, the upper end of the swing and pull link being anchored to the head and adapted to swing the head back and forth across the buck, and means cooperating with the lower end of the link to produce and release compression between the head and buck, said cooperating means including a pair of spaced parts rigidly connected together at one end, the spaced parts being operatively connected with the link at spaced points there upon to insure more accurate alignment of the head and buck when they come together.

19. A press comprising jaws, an upright swing" able support having its upper end arched around the lower jaw and anchored to the upper jaw, the

other end thereof being pivotally supported on a pivot disposed underneath the jaws when closed,

said swingable support affording relative lateral travel of the upper jaw in relation to the lower jaw to fully expose the latter, a lever carrying the pivot connected with the, swingable support and movable downwardly to pull the swingable support downwardly-to produce and release jaw compression, and means at one end of the lever for adjusting the position of the pivot and thereby regulating the compression between the jaws.

20. A, garmentor ironing press comprising a frame, a buck supported on the frame, a head, a swing andipull link standing vertically and supported on a pivot at a point below the buck, the

position of the pivot and thereby regulating the compression between the head and buck.

JAMES C. LEDBETTER. 

